31/03/2017 Newsround

hello, I'm Riki, and it is finally Friday. Here is what is coming up on

Newsround. Manchester City ladies on a roll, plus how music gave this

girl her voice. But first to Syria,

a country in the Middle East. A war there has been

going on for seven years. Many thousands of people have been

killed and millions more have fled But what is life like for

the families who are A team of BBC journalists went

to the city of Homs to find out. In the last few years,

so much has changed in Syria. Buildings have been

completely destroyed. Some parts of the country

are unrecognisable. Different groups who can't agree

on the way the country should be run have been fighting

against each other. Life has changed drastically

for children living here. Three years ago,

Barah-hah was scared. She lost members of her own family

in some of the fiercest fighting and had to stop going to school

because it wasn't safe. Back then she told the BBC

what life was like. We were not eating properly. I'd

like to go to school. Three years on,

and a lot has changed. Her classroom is crowded

and she gave the BBC's You know, in some ways,

of course this is terrific to see, children just being

children here in Syria. A place that has seen some

of the worst fighting of the war. And now an ordinary day

with children going to I am much happier now. I am back in

the house. When I go to bed, I remember when I had a part in a

play, I remember school, what I did during the day will stop its all

good stuff, no bad memories. in school but not every child

in Syria is so fortunate. Many are still not able to got

to school and there is still no end Manchester City Women became

the first English team to reach the Champions League

semi-finals since 2014. They beat Danish side

Fortuna Hjorring. Lucy Bronze scored

the only goal in the game. City will face Lyon

in the last four. Tennis now and Johanna Konta has

become the first British woman Johanna Konta was just six years

old when Venus William first won her Miami Open

title 19 years ago. Even though she is seven years old,

Ruweyda only recently Martin's been finding

out more about her. Meet Ruwedya. She is seven years old

and has something called selective mutism, a very strong type of

anxiety meaning she cannot speak in certain situations. Until recently,

Ruwedya did not say a word at school, until she started taking

some special music classes. I guess Ruwedya was very quiet with

selective mutism, not speaking within school at all. And then she

came to music therapy and she was very shy in the first session and it

took a little while to warm up, but then she responded really well and

quickly. It was after her second session when she spoke her first

word. Some of the kids came in and said Ruwedya is speaking. She can

speak, she is just shy. Do you enjoy school more now? Yes. Great. Why?

School is great. About 1% of children are thought to have

selective mutism like Ruwedya but there's not a lot of research into

helping people with it, so people like Ruwedya's music teacher working

hard to different ways to help. That's all from me, Newsround's back

right here in about half an hour. Don't forget to head

online for loads more including our new Strange,

Stranger, Strangest Strange Hill High is up next!

And this afternoon, it's the final episode of Sam and

Mark's Big Friday Wind-Up at six! You know, speaking of double acts...

Yeah? We're a good double act, aren't we? I reckon we're THE best

Of course! I mean, we get on

really well... We do. Never get on each other's nerves.

Nope! You know?